Meet the Guy Who Created His Own Iron Man Helmet to be an Avenger

Diego Valdes loves Iron Man so much that he decided to become one by building a cyborg helmet.

33-year-old Diego Valdes loves the avengers so much that he decided to become one

(Photo: AP screengrab)

Video Editor: Ashutosh Bhardwaj

For all you Marvel fans out there, this guy tops the fan game.

Thirty-three-year-old Diego Valdes loves the Avengers so much that he decided to become one. Diego spent seven months building a fully functioning cyborg helmet to turn himself into a real life Iron Man.

He created his own mechanisms that can be controlled and powered by buttons inside the hat. He even used a 3D printer to make parts of the fully-functioning helmet, which was inspired by Gray Fox from the video game Metal Gear Solid.

Diego – who lives with his wife Kristen, 31, in Seattle – used a 3D model of his head and assembled the piece himself. And just like his hero Tony Stark aka Iron Man, he is a mechanical engineer by profession. He is currently working on finishing the rest of the suit to look just like the Marvel character.

A die-hard cosplay fan, he started cosplay back in 2008 as he was fascinated by how people recreated the costumes with such finesse. Considering it a novel concept, he started building his own costumes in 2012.

I started off with fabric costumes. I taught myself to sew and bought a sewing machine. I then moved into making mechanical outfits after two or three fabric outfits. It allows me to apply my knowledge in a creative way. I made the first version of this helmet back in 2012. 

Diego Valdes to AP

Since the time he made the helmet, he is being recognised at cosplays. While it took him a good amount of time to make the helmet function, he says his love for Tony Stark makes it worth all the effort.

For me, Iron Man is my favourite of the superheroes. As a fellow engineer, that makes him an easy choice.

Diego Valdes to AP

(With inputs from AP)

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